Male 20+ 180 words. Chris: "Buddha Suicide." From: Into the River.

By Paul Pasulka

You know, I heard a story once about Buddha - I think it was Buddha - Was there a guy named Hindu? Well, one of them, anyhow, was out for a stroll and looked down from a cliff and saw a starving - I don’t know, lioness or tigress or something. And he knew she was gonna eat her newborn cubs, cause she didn’t have the strength to crawl out from the - whatever - let alone drag them with her. So he jumped. Buddha or whoever. He jumped. And they fed on his carcass. I mean, it seems like a big deal, right? Him sacrificing himself for them. But then he was enlightened, and knew he was gonna come back, that is, if he wanted to. (Beat.) But for real. Suppose you did something really really horrible? Would it be alright to kill yourself then? Murdered someone, maybe, not committed murder, but neglected her. Suppose it was someone you loved. Really loved. And suppose you, pimped her out first. Ignored her pain. Did nothing, even after you knew. Would it be alright to jump?